George Abbot Students See The Green Future Of Motoring

Published on: 23 Nov, 2014
Updated on: 17 Dec, 2014

Students at George Abbot School got up close to an innovative electric buggy that may be the future of motor transport while also helping to safeguard the environment.

Students at George Abbot School with Gordon Foat (right) and Brian Orr.

Gordon Foat, the director of Green Motor Sports of Woking, brought the buggy he has built to the senior school in Burpham on Thursday last week (November 20) and talked to a group of students all about it and his ambitions for the vehicle.

With him was Brian Orr, who brought along the electric support car he drove when Gordon took part in the 2014 Wave (World Advanced Vehicle Expedition) Rally. He has taken part in the rally each year since 2011, and plans to compete in 2015, and is now looking for sponership.

Students hear Gordon Foat talk about his electric buggy.

Gordon’s electric buggy is powered by renewable energy – both solar and wind. It can do 200km on one four-hour charge. Its top speed is 50mph.

He explained to the students how he built the buggy, its capabilities, the rally he took part in (the support car wasn’t really needed as his buggy ran so well) and his future plans to develop the buggy and its potential.

He said that as the buggy is built to go off road, there has been interest from countries such as Brazil, where the vehicle could be utilised in a programme to replant trees in areas of rainforest.

The plan is to supply similar buggies that would come with their own metal container. This would contain solar panels that can be set up on it to generate electricity to power the buggy. It means that it is a viable solution to run the car in areas far from normal electricity supplies. In fact, the same principals could apply for use on remote farms in the UK.

Gordon Foat and Brian Orr.

He said: “A love of motor cars runs in my veins. My father was a car restoration expert but I wanted a cleaner, greener way ahead for auto-mobiles. So that’s what my business works at.”

Teacher at the school, Jacqueline Sellers, heard about the Wave Rally and Gordon and his vehicle and arranged for him to visit the school. She also co-ordinates the school’s Eco-School as part of its extra-curricular activities.

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